The present invention relates to a heat-development recording apparatus and heat sensitization which is performed in a film conveying apparatus for conveying a film, such as a heat-development photosensitive material, and more particularly to an antistatic technique for use when a film, such as a heat-development photosensitive material, is conveyed.
As an image recording apparatus for recording a medical image for use in a digital radiography system, a CT, an MR or the like, a wet system has been known which obtains a reproduced image by performing a wet process after a process for photographing or recording an image on a silver-salt photosensitive material has been performed.
In recent years, a recording apparatus has attracted attention which employs a dry system in which the wet process is not performed and which uses a heat-development photosensitive material.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a related heat-development recording apparatus.
The foregoing apparatus is an apparatus for performing all of recording of a latent image on a recording material, development of the latent image and transference of the image in a dry state. Referring to FIG. 3, a heat-development photosensitive material which is a recording material is, in an exposure section 4, irradiated (scanned) with a laser beam modulated by a laser modulation section 3 in accordance with image data 1 so that a latent image is formed. Then, the exposed heat-development photosensitive material is, in a heat-development section 5, brought into contact with a heating means so that heat-development is performed. As a result, an image is obtained.
When the above-mentioned sequential heat-development process is performed, the photosensitive material is, while being nipped by conveying rollers, conveyed from a magazine loaded into the heat-development recording apparatus to the exposure section 4 after which the photosensitive material is conveyed from the exposure section 4 to the heat-development section 5. During the conveyance, an emulsion binder of a conventional wet-type silver-salt film containing water in a large quantity has inhibited easy electrification.
On the other hand, a dry silver material for use in a method in which all of the processes for obtaining an image are performed in a dry state must maintain the hardness of the surface of the dry silver material. Therefore, an emulsion binding having a low water content must be employed, causing undesirable electrification to sometimes occur during conveyance or in a manufacturing process.
If the electrification of the photosensitive material occurs, adhesion of dust or the like easily takes place. It leads to a fact that an irregular image occurs. What is worse, a plurality of the photosensitive materials sometimes adsorb one another. In the foregoing case, introduction of the sheet material encounters a problem, causing a malfunction to occur.